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Bill: Software patents bill
Details
Submitted by[?]: Liberty Party
Status[?]: passed
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: July 2804
Description[?]:
Proposes the end of the right to patent software. |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change The patenting of software techniques.
Old value:: Software patents can be obtained from the patent office.
Current: Software patents can be obtained from the patent office.
Proposed: Software designs, techniques, formulae and algorithms cannot be patented.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
Date | 02:56:51, August 11, 2009 CET | From | Liberty Party | To | Debating the Software patents bill |
Message | The LP is divided on this issue. It would, however, like to see this matter discussed among the parties. A software is, in the end, just a number. Just as we wouldn't allow anyone to patent the number 12, should we allow someone to patent a sequence of 1s and 0s, however long it is? We do feel, however, that there is a risk that innovation will be stifled in Aloria's software industry. What are your thoughts? |
Date | 03:44:01, August 12, 2009 CET | From | National Conservative Party | To | Debating the Software patents bill |
Message | The LP makes a good point. The NCP believes that software is a sequence of numbers, and that numbers in themselves cannot be patented. However if a software company invested time and money creating a unique design or technique, why should their "product" not be protected? The same for an aircraft jet engine, there are thousands of parts, not all of which are patented or patentable, but the way that all of those parts come together is a unique design. The company that created that design should reap the rewards for the innovation and money spent to create that design. Maybe a better example would be a drug company that uses ingredients that are not patentable, but the "design" of all the ingredients put together is a breakthrough in medicine. Should the creator of the drug not reap the rewards for the idea and the testing? The NCP does feel that passing such a bill could bring great risk or damage to the Alorian software industry, but the NCP would like to hear further input from other parties. |
Date | 01:48:46, August 13, 2009 CET | From | Communist Party of Aloria | To | Debating the Software patents bill |
Message | We are neutral on this bill and will vote with the majority. |
Date | 19:25:05, August 15, 2009 CET | From | Loyal Citizen Party | To | Debating the Software patents bill |
Message | The LCP supports this bill, on the fact that we believe that anything you can't patent something that doesn't have phisical form. In other words if you cant fence it its not property but culture, and culture is free for all. |
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Voting
Vote | Seats | |||
yes |
Total Seats: 277 | |||
no | Total Seats: 0 | |||
abstain | Total Seats: 223 |
Random fact: References to prominent real-life persons are not allowed. This includes references to philosophies featuring the name of a real-life person (eg. "Marxism", "Thatcherism", "Keynesianism"). |
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